A typical high security electromechanical lock includes a keypad and a lock. The keypad is mounted external to a container to which access is to be limited, and the lock is mounted internal to the container. In one application, for example, the container may be a safe. The keypad has connections to drive an analog signal to the lock, and includes logic to determine which button was pressed on the keypad. In many applications, such a lock and keypad is battery powered. Also, such lock controls are fixed in function at the time of installation on the container, and do little to promote power efficiency.
What is needed in the art is a high security electromechanical lock based on a digital platform which is expandable to support the installation of one or more auxiliary devices for communication with the lock electronic components, which simplifies battery replacement, and/or which is power efficient to extend battery life.